There is some dispute about the meaning of Vecchia's painting. Was
Vecchia drawing his inspiration from a literary source now lost to
us? Does the painting represent the contrast of age and youth? The 9th
Earl of Burghley House described the painting as "envy plucking the
wings of youth." This interpretation seems to fit Vecchia's work and
illumine its meaning. The angered Envy clutches the newly plucked
feathers of Youth as she pleads in vain.